Excellence Award | Von P. Walden 2012

Excellence in Research or Creative Activity

Von P. Walden, Associate Professor of Geography in the College of Science, earned his Doctorate in Geophysics from the University of Washington in 1995 and joined the University of Idaho faculty in 2001. His research focuses on understanding polar weather and climate through ground-based remote sensing and in-situ observations. He also performs research on how climate change may impact the western U.S.
Dr. Walden has earned the respect of his peers on a national and international level. One colleague says Walden’s strength

“… is that he possesses a rare combination of excellence in four vital arenas. He is: a) an internationally renowned and highly-respected researcher in a very challenging field…; b) a generous colleague willing to invest enormous amounts of time…; c) a charismatic speaker… and d) a gifted teacher and mentor.”

Dr. Walden is a leading authority on polar meteorology and climatology, as well as global climatic change, and conducts field research in Antarctica and the Arctic. He is currently the Principal Investigator on the Integrated Characterization of Energy, Clouds, Atmospheric state, and Precipitation at Summit, Greenland (ICECAPS), a multi-institutional project funded by the National Science Foundation’s Arctic Observing Network. From 2008 to 2012, he was lead scientist of the NSF's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Water Resources in a Changing Climate project studying the effects of climate change on water resources, the environment, and the economy of Idaho. This $18.2 million project provides funding to the University of Idaho and other institutions across Idaho. Walden now serves as a Senior Advisor to Idaho EPSCoR.

Dr. Walden has conducted eight field experiments in the Antarctic and Arctic regions and field work on the Plaine Morte Glacier in Switzerland in 2008. Marc Parlange, Professor and Dean of the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland says Dr. Walden “was a brilliant ambassador for the University of Idaho, and…the university is justifiably proud of their energetic … professor.”

Additionally, Dr. Walden served on NASA’s Validation Team for the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) from 2001 to 2005. He currently serves as a charter member of the committee on International Arctic Systems for Observing the Atmosphere (IASOA) with colleagues from Canada, Russia, Finland, and Norway.

Since 2001, Dr. Walden has played a leading role on 28 successful grant proposals totaling over $21,000,000. He has co-authored 34 peer-reviewed articles, served as a major professor to 9 M.S. and Ph.D. students, and mentored 8 undergraduates.